ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (AFP) — Early strikes by Jayden Seales in the second innings left the second Test evenly poised, with Australia stuttering to 12 for two at the close of play on the second day of the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada on Friday.

Having been held up by the home side’s lower order before eventually taking a first innings lead of 33, the visitors will resume on the third morning ahead by 45 runs with eight wickets in hand.

Seales, who continues to impress on his return to full fitness after a succession of injuries stalled his progress following his Test debut in 2021, removed openers Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaj in successive overs to deepen Australia’s concerns about the fragility of their top-order batting.

In dismissals which have become repetitive for the two players, Konstas dragged a delivery onto his stumps while Khawaja was palpably leg-before for the third consecutive innings.

Cameron Green, who has so far failed to impress in the number three position in this series, survived to the close with nightwatchman Nathan Lyon for company.

Lyon was the most successful of the Australian bowlers in the West Indies first innings total of 253.

His three wickets at a cost of 75 runs included top-scorer Brandon King, who made amends for a nightmarish debut Test – with the bat and in the field – in Barbados last week with a fluent 75 off 108 balls with three sixes and eight fours.

“I enjoyed his intent to score while also showing a good solid defence when necessary,” said West Indies batting consultant Floyd Reifer in reflecting on King’s maiden Test half-century.

“It was good to see him trying to put pressure back on the bowlers whenever he could.”

While he would have been hoping for his team to come away with a first innings lead from day two, Reifer, a former West Indies captain, is backing the West Indies bowlers to continue with their good start to the second innings to keep the target to a manageable level as the hosts seek to square the series ahead of the final Test under lights in Jamaica.

“The wicket is deteriorating a bit so if we can bowl them out cheaply and chase something within the region of 220 then we have a chance,” he said.

King’s partnerships with captain Roston Chase and wicketkeeper Shai Hope added an invaluable 105 runs after the West Indies had slipped to 64 for three in the morning session.

Those early casualties included Kraigg Brathwaite, who endured the indignity of a duck in his 100th Test.

Looking to give the home side a solid platform on a two-paced pitch, the former captain’s mistimed drive in the second over of the day offered Josh Hazlewood a low return catch which the seamer gleefully accepted to extend the batsman’s poor run so far in the series.

Two more wickets tumbled in the pre-lunch period but the triumvirate of King, Chase and Hope initiated a fightback which was extended to the lower order as the fast bowling Josephs, Alzarri and Shamar, put on 51 for the eighth wicket.

The last-wicket pair of Anderson Phillip and Seales held up Australia for more than 40 minuntes, necessitating Travis Head’s part-time off spin to end the innings